Romania refuses entry to EU airspace for Russian deputy PM Rogozin

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was forced to end his trip to Moldova after his plane was barred from entering Romanian and Hungarian airspace.

Rogozin said in comments to Russian news agencies on Friday that he and other Russian officials were traveling on a commercial flight by S7 carrier to the Moldovan capital Chisinau when the plane was denied passage over Romania or Hungary, both EU members.

The plane had to land in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, because it was running out of fuel.

The deputy prime minister is one of the most senior Russian officials slapped with an EU visa ban in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Romania’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that authorities had not allowed Rogozin to enter Romanian airspace.